Prevention of Natural Flowering in Pineapple (Ananas comosus) by Shading and Urea Application

Meng-Tzu Lin,Alfred Ming Chen1,Tzong-Shyan Lin,Ching-San Kuan,Ching-Lung Lee,Wen-Ju Yang 한국원예학회 2015 Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology Vol.56 No.1

The year-round production of pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus) is often interrupted by natural flowering during winter in Taiwan. A stable and promising technique for preventing natural flowering is required. In this study, we have tested the effect of shading and urea application on the flowering of pineapple. Shading 90% of sun light(s) before mid-November delayed the natural flowering of pineapple and the delay was affected by the plant age. For pineapples planted less than 11 month before mid-November, applying 1% urea plus shading treatment (SN) completely inhibited natural flowering. All the flowering-inhibited plants could be forced to flower by applying calcium carbide. Long-term shading might result in a decreased number of fruitlets within a fruit. However, 6 weeks of recovery before forcing flowering was sufficient for plants to produce fruits with quality equal to that of the control plants. In winter, pineapple plants that were prone to flowering tended to accumulate more leaf starch and increase their C/N ratio. The SN treatment increased the leaf nitrogen concentration and thus effectively maintained a low leaf C/N ratio. Furthermore, flowering-inhibited plants exhibited a constantly low level of leaf starch during the winter and their flowering forced by calcium carbide did not accompany with leaf starch accumulation.

Optimization of the Growth Rate of Probiotics in Fermented Milk Using Genetic Algorithms and Sequential Quadratic Programming Techniques

Chen, Ming-Ju,Chen, Kun-Nan,Lin, Chin-Wen Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2003 Animal Bioscience Vol.16 No.6

Prebiotics (peptides, N-acetyglucoamine, fructo-oligosaccharides, isomalto-oligosaccharides and galactooligosaccharides) were added to skim milk in order to improve the growth rate of contained Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium bifidum. The purpose of this research was to study the potential synergy between probiotics and prebiotics when present in milk, and to apply modern optimization techniques to obtain optimal design and performance for the growth rate of the probiotics using a response surface-modeling technique. To carry out response surface modeling, the regression method was performed on experimental results to build mathematical models. The models were then formulated as an objective function in an optimization problem that was consequently optimized using a genetic algorithm and sequential quadratic programming approach to obtain the maximum growth rate of the probiotics. The results showed that the quadratic models appeared to have the most accurate response surface fit. Both SQP and GA were able to identify the optimal combination of prebiotics to stimulate the growth of probiotics in milk. Comparing both methods, SQP appeared to be more efficient than GA at such a task.

Development and Verification of an Optimum Composition Model for a Synbiotic Fermented Milk Using Sequential Quadratic Programming Techniques

Chen, Ming-Ju,Chen, Kun-Nan,Lin, Chin-Wen Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2006 Animal Bioscience Vol.19 No.10

The purpose of this research was to develop an optimum composition model for a new synbiotic fermented dairy product with high probiotic cell counts, and to experimentally verify this model. The optimum composition model indicated the growth promoter ratio that could provide the highest growth rate for probiotics in this fermented product. Different levels of growth promoters were first blended with milk to improve the growth rates of probiotics, and the optimum composition model was determined. The probiotic viabilities and chemical properties were analyzed for the samples made using the optimal formula. The optimal combination of the growth promoters for the synbiotic fermented milk product was 1.12% peptides, 3% fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and 1.87% isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO). A product manufactured according to the formula of the optimum model was analyzed, showing that the model was effective in improving the viability of both Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp.

Optimizing Production of Two Potential Probiotic Lactobacilli Strains Isolated from Piglet Feces as Feed Additives for Weaned Piglets

Ming-Lun Chiang,Hsi-Chia Chen,Kun-Nan Chen,Yu-Chun Lin,Ya-Ting Lin,Ming-Ju Chen 아세아·태평양축산학회 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.8

Two probiotic strains, Lactobacillus johnsonii x-1d-2 and Lactobacillus mucosae x-4w-1, originally isolated from piglet feces, have been demonstrated to possess antimicrobial activities, antibiotic resistances and interleukin-6 induction ability in RAW 267.4 macrophages in our previous study. These characteristics make L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1 good candidates for application in feed probiotics. In this study, soybeal meal, molasses and sodium acetate were selected to optimize the growth medium for cultivation of L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1. These two strains were then freeze-dried and mixed into the basal diet to feed the weaned piglets. The effects of L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1 on the growth performance and fecal microflora of weaned piglets were investigated. The results showed that the bacterial numbers of L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1 reached a maximum of 8.90 and 9.30 log CFU/mL, respectively, when growing in optimal medium consisting of 5.5% (wt/vol) soybean meal, 1.0% (wt/vol) molasses and 1.0% (wt/vol) sodium acetate. The medium cost was 96% lower than the commercial de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe medium. In a further feeding study, the weaned piglets fed basal diet supplemented with freeze-dried probiotic cultures exhibited higher (p<0.05) body weight gain, feed intake, and gain/feed ratio than weaned piglets fed basal diet. Probiotic feeding also increased the numbers of lactobacilli and decreased the numbers of E. coli in the feces of weaned piglets. This study demonstrates that L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1 have high potential to be used as feed additives in the pig industry.

Study of the Microbial and Chemical Properties of Goat Milk Kefir Produced by Inoculation with Taiwanese Kefir Grains

Chen, Ming-Ju,Liu, Je-Ruei,Lin, Chin-Wen,Yeh, Yu-Tzu Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2005 Animal Bioscience Vol.18 No.5

One of the prerequisites for the successful implementation of industrial-scale goat kefir production is to understand the effects of different kefir grains and culture conditions on the microbial and chemical properties of the goat kefir. Thus, the objectives of the present study were to evaluate the characteristics of kefir grains in Taiwan on the microbial and chemical properties of goat milk kefir, as well as to understand the influence of culture conditions on production of medium chain-length triglycerides (MCT). Kefir grains were collected from households in northern Taiwan. Heat-treated goat milk was inoculated with 3-5% (V/W) kefir grains incubated at 15, 17.5, 20 or 22.5$^{\circ}C$ for 20 h, and the microflora count, ethanol content, and caproic (C6), caprylic (C8), and capric acid (C10) levels measured at 4 h intervals. Our results indicate that incubation with kefir grains results in 10$^6$-10$^7$ CFU/ml microflora count and 1.18 g/L of ethanol content at 20 h of fermentation. Incubation with 5% kefir grain at 20-22.5$^{\circ}C$ produces the highest MCT levels.

Optimization of the Viability of Probiotics in a Fermented Milk Drink by the Response Surface Method

Chen, Ming-Ju,Chen, Kun-Nan,Lin, Chin-Wen Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2004 Animal Bioscience Vol.17 No.5

Growth promoters were added to skim milk to retain the viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum to help the product meet the "therapeutic minimum" at the time of consumption. The experiments were divided into two parts. The first part of the study used chicory inulin, isomalto-oligosaccharides and sucrose to investigate the effects of sugars on the activity of L. acidophilus and B. longum. The results indicated that the addition of isomalto-oligosaccharides stimulated growth of L. acidophilus and B. longum, resulting in a higher level of the probiotics after one month storage and yielded better $\beta$-galactosidase activity during fermentation. The second part studied the effects of three growth promoters on the viability of the probiotic cultures and the response surface method was employed to find the optimal ratio for addition of the growth promoters. The optimal ratio for added calcium gluconate, sodium gluconate and N-acetylglucosamine in fermented milk drinks were established. The response surface method proved to be a very effective way of optimizing the activity of probiotic cultures when developing a new fermented milk drink.

Study on Skin Care Properties of Milk Kefir Whey

Chen, Ming-Ju,Liu, J.R.,Sheu, J.F.,Lin, C.W.,Chuang, C.L. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2006 Animal Bioscience Vol.19 No.6

The purpose of this research was to study the effects of kefir whey (kefir whey, peptides, lactic acid) on skin care properties including skin lightening effect and acne treatment. The final aim was to develop a new cosmetic product and enhance the value of dairy products. The results of skin lightening tests showed that all three kefir whey components (kefir whey, peptides and lactic acid) had inhibitory ability against melanin synthesis. Furthermore, copper chelating analysis demonstrated that both kefir whey and kefir whey peptides could chelate the copper in tyrosinase, which might explain the mechanism of inhibition. The ability for acne treatment indicated that lactic acid level higher than 60 mg/ml could inhibit the growth of Propionibacterium acne, whereas no inhibition was found with other components.

Optimizing Production of Two Potential Probiotic Lactobacilli Strains Isolated from Piglet Feces as Feed Additives for Weaned Piglets

Chiang, Ming-Lun,Chen, Hsi-Chia,Chen, Kun-Nan,Lin, Yu-Chun,Lin, Ya-Ting,Chen, Ming-Ju Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.8

Two probiotic strains, Lactobacillus johnsonii x-1d-2 and Lactobacillus mucosae x-4w-1, originally isolated from piglet feces, have been demonstrated to possess antimicrobial activities, antibiotic resistances and interleukin-6 induction ability in RAW 267.4 macrophages in our previous study. These characteristics make L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1 good candidates for application in feed probiotics. In this study, soybeal meal, molasses and sodium acetate were selected to optimize the growth medium for cultivation of L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1. These two strains were then freeze-dried and mixed into the basal diet to feed the weaned piglets. The effects of L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1 on the growth performance and fecal microflora of weaned piglets were investigated. The results showed that the bacterial numbers of L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1 reached a maximum of 8.90 and 9.30 log CFU/mL, respectively, when growing in optimal medium consisting of 5.5% (wt/vol) soybean meal, 1.0% (wt/vol) molasses and 1.0% (wt/vol) sodium acetate. The medium cost was 96% lower than the commercial de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe medium. In a further feeding study, the weaned piglets fed basal diet supplemented with freeze-dried probiotic cultures exhibited higher (p<0.05) body weight gain, feed intake, and gain/feed ratio than weaned piglets fed basal diet. Probiotic feeding also increased the numbers of lactobacilli and decreased the numbers of E. coli in the feces of weaned piglets. This study demonstrates that L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1 have high potential to be used as feed additives in the pig industry.

Acupuncture for ventilator-dependent patients at a hospital-based respiratory care center: A randomized controlled trial

Jia-Ming Chen,Wan-Li Chiang,Bin-Chuan Ji,Ruei-Jhe Jhang,Pei-Hsin Chen,Ya-Lun Li,Che-Ju Chang,Sung-Yen Huang,Tsung-Chieh Lee,Chia-Yun Chen,Ching-Hsiung Lin,Sheng-Hao Lin 한국한의학연구원 2023 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.12 No.4

Background: In intensive care units, mechanical ventilation is an important therapy to help patients with dysp- nea. However, long-term ventilator dependence would consume huge medical resources and increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to examine the efficacy of the acupuncture combined with western medical care on ventilator parameters in ventilator-dependent patients. Methods: In this clinical trial, 80 ventilator-dependent patients aged 20 to 80 years old were randomly assigned to acupuncture group and control group in the respiratory care center (RCC) of Changhua Christian Hospital. Besides regular medical care and therapy, participants in the acupuncture group received acupuncture therapy at the same 17 acu-points for 20 minutes once a day, a total of 12 sessions. The ventilator parameters were recorded to evaluate the respiratory efficiency for all participants. The primary outcome was rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI), and secondary outcomes were respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (TV) and ventilation per minute (MV). Results: Though there was no significant difference in the parameter between the acupuncture group and the control group, we found the trend of decreasing RSBI in the acupuncture group. In subgroup analyses, the mean of RSBI significantly decreased 16.02 (with the SD in 60.84) in acupuncture group, while it increased 17.84 (with the SD in 39.38) in control group (p = 0.036) after 12 sessions. Conclusion: Acupuncture treatment can improve breathing ability of patients with respirator dependence in respiratory care center.

Microwave-assisted Approach for the Rapid Enzymatic Digestion of Rapeseed Meal

Ju-Fang Li,Fang Wei,Lu-Lu Guo,Gang-You Yuan,Feng-Hong Huang,Mu-Lan Jiang,Yuan-Di Zhao,Xu-Yan Dong,Guang-Ming Li,Hong Chen 한국식품과학회 2010 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.19 No.2

This study demonstrates the use of a new microwave-assisted approach for accelerating the enzymatic digestion of rapeseed meal. The effects of different microwave parameters, such as the time, temperature, and power level, on the degree of hydrolysis (DH) were investigated by using response surface methodology (RSM). The maximum predicted DH value (10.2%) was in good agreement with the value obtained experimentally using an alkaline protease, which was 12.57% under optimal conditions. In only 7 min, the microwave-assisted method achieved a DH value similar to that obtained by the conventional enzymatic digestion method (4 hr). Therefore,this new technique for rapid enzymatic digestion will improve the application of rapeseed meal in the preparation of protein hydrolysates for use in food and feed.